This invention concerns a device for killing arthropods especially flying insects and most especially flies. For the sake of brevity, the description provided hereafter will refer to the device primarily in its capacity to kill flies.
Certain 2-(nitromethylene)-1,3-thiazines and derivatives thereof are disclosed in U.S. Pats. 3,993,648 and 4,065,560 as having useful insecticidal activity against the house fly (Musca domestica). The insecticidal activity of tetrahydro-2-(nitromethylene)-2H-1,3-thiazine (TNMT) and other nitromethylene heterocycles are disclosed in Pesticides and Venom Neurotoxicity, Shankland et al., pages 153 to 169 (1978). The physical, chemical and insecticidal properties of these compounds are further disclosed in Advances in Pesticide Science, Part 2, Geissbuhler et al., pages 206 to 217, Symposia Papers from Fourth International Congress of Pesticide Chemistry, July, 1978.
There are myriad patent disclosures of fly traps going back at least to the mid-1800's. One of the more recent patents on this subject matter is U.S. 4,310,985 which discloses one embodiment of insect trap comprising:
(a) a target area of porous material comprising a sloped surface containing a dosage of tetrahydro-2-(nitromethylene)-2H-1,3-thiazine insecticide lethal to flies;
(b) a closely fitting or flush grill covering said target area but allowing contact by the flies thereon;
(c) a sloped supporting member for said target area comprising a solid sheet of rigid impermeable material shaped to conform with the shape of the target area and having its upper surface affixed to the target area so as to support and define the configuration of the target area;
(d) a hollow base section having a bottom and side or sides surrounding the bottom and perimeter of said sloped target area supporting member, the side or sides of said base section extending up a sufficient distance to form a cavity between the side or sides of the base and the target area supporting member, said cavity being of sufficient size for the containment and concealment of intoxicated flies; the base section being attached to the sloped supporting member such that a refillable reservoir for fluid storage or containment is formed in the hollow base section, said reservoir being defined on its top by the sloped supporting member and on its bottom by the bottom of the base section; and
(e) a means of establishing fluid contact between the target area and refillable reservoir. The subject matter of the instant invention represents an improvement over the device disclosed in U.S. 4,310,985.